About

Diana Mazzella

I always wanted to know what the heck was going on. I know a little more now but I still don't know it all. I love that and hate it, too.

As a reporter in North Carolina after graduating from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in journalism, I discovered America's flaws quickly: conflict, poverty and racism. And I also found its champions: the people who don't give up every day in the face of violence and loss. Then at West Virginia University Magazine, I spent all of my time in the nuance and granular stories to show big-picture truths, like how an underrepresented place is rich ground for surprises and growth.

Have you heard of fast radio bursts? (Worst pick-up line ever). They're radio wave pulses with the strength of a black hole at the center of a galaxy. The place of their discovery has been overlooked. But it was in West Virginia. The person investigating how much of the U.S.' shale gas reserves are owned by Chinese investors? She's in West Virginia, too.

I've become a person who sees what a lot of other people don't see. The real, complicated, interesting truth in favor of the quick stereotype. And I link little pieces into the larger whole to make a magazine or a radio story.

With my co-producer Raymond Thompson Jr., I piloted the university's first marketing podcast, Sparked — a story-style podcast unusual in higher ed — about the people who are changing Appalachia's future. I didn't have much experience in radio, but you know, who has time to worry about that?

I'm eager to learn more about your work and see how we could make something together.